Light upgrade on 75 gal

Hi all 3reefers. I have a 75 gal w/ Finger Leather, Zenia, an Anemone, Starburst polyps, a few Zoo's and Watermelon mushrooms. Currently the tank is light by 25 watt actinic florescent and about 110 watts of PC light. I am looking to upgrade so I can keep clams and Acros. Metal halide is probably the way I need to go but I don't know how much I need. Does anyone have any recommendations? Thanks, Brandon

 

You can also go with HO T-5 lighting.

 

I would go with 2X 250W MH and a VHO actinic. It is what I ran on my 75G and loved it. In that tank I had about 5 clams and SPS with excellent colour

J

 

I think 500W MH are a little out of my budget. But I was also thinking about the bulbs. How long do HQI and T-5 bulbs last? 8 T-5 bulbs would be about $160 and HQI's are in the $100 range. I want to find out which system would be the most cost effective in the long run and the best for my tank.

 

Well you didn't state a budget just live stock you want to keep. IMO you will have to make sacrifices like no clams and No Acros if you go with much less than 2X250W MH

J

 

^^ I'm with JM. Also, if you skimp on quality of lights, you will get less usage .

I'd go with the MH, because as you stated, the cost is less every 6-8mo, and the cost isn't really THAT different between MH and T5. Look into some of the combo fixtures that have MH with PC or T5 bulbs

BTW, what is your 'budget' at?

 

T-5's are supposed to last a 2yrs on 8hrs/day and 15months at 12hrs/day.
You could keep anything you want with the 8 bulb T-5 or 2x150 HQI MH in combo with actinic PC's IMHO. My LFS has had a 90g display tank with clams and SPS for a few yrs using 2x150 HQI and actinic PC's. If your interested in T-5's, do some internet research and see what other users have to say about them.
Personally, I prefer MH's but just purchased a HO T-5 fixture to replace my ancient MH fixture. A heat issue is why I went with T-5's.
As far as costs go, if you go with MH's you will also need actinic lighting if you want your corals to flouresce. So you will have to replace the PC bulbs every 6-9 months in addition to the MH's every 9-15 months depending upon usage.

 

I would go with what I am currently setting up for my tank. 2x250 10000k with 2x110 VHO actinic. If you search forums you can pick up ballasts reflector for dirt cheap.

 

I'd go with the MH's. You can get the DIY ballasts for $95 each and than all you need is refelctors and bulbs...
You could then use your PC lights for actinic lighting and you're good to go.;D

 

I'm looking at about a $300-$400 budget. KOgle, where can I get those $95 ballasts you speak of?